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Dava Shastri's Last Day
(OverDrive MP3 Audiobook, OverDrive Listen)

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Published:
Hachette Audio 2021
Status:
Available from OverDrive
Description

In this novel "full of music, magnetism, and familial obligation" (Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here) a dying billionaire matriarch leaks news of her death early so she can examine her legacy—a decision that horrifies her children and inadvertently exposes secrets she has spent a lifetime keeping.

Dava Shastri, one of the world's wealthiest women, has always lived with her sterling reputation in mind. A brain cancer diagnosis at the age of seventy, however, changes everything, and Dava decides to take her death—like all matters of her life—into her own hands.

Summoning her four adult children to her private island, she discloses shocking news: in addition to having a terminal illness, she has arranged for the news of her death to break early, so she can read her obituaries.

As someone who dedicated her life to the arts and the empowerment of women, Dava expects to read articles lauding her philanthropic work. Instead, her "death" reveals two devastating secrets, truths she thought she had buried forever.

And now the whole world knows, including her children.

In the time she has left, Dava must come to terms with the decisions that have led to this moment—and make peace with those closest to her before it's too late. Compassionately written and chock-full of humor and heart, this powerful novel examines public versus private legacy, the complexities of love, and the never-ending joys—and frustrations—of family.

Includes a Reading Group Guide.

A Good Morning America and Lilly Singh's Lilly Library Book Club pick

Most anticipated in fall 2021 by TIME, The Washington Post, Bustle, Goodreads, and Debutiful

  • An Indie Next Pick
  • A Publishers Marketplace Buzz Book for Fall/Winter 2021
  • Longlisted for the 2021 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

  • Also in This Series
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    Format:
    OverDrive MP3 Audiobook, OverDrive Listen
    Edition:
    Unabridged
    Street Date:
    11/30/2021
    Language:
    English
    ISBN:
    9781549134111
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    Citations
    APA Citation (style guide)

    Kirthana Ramisetti. (2021). Dava Shastri's Last Day. Unabridged Hachette Audio.

    Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

    Kirthana Ramisetti. 2021. Dava Shastri's Last Day. Hachette Audio.

    Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

    Kirthana Ramisetti, Dava Shastri's Last Day. Hachette Audio, 2021.

    MLA Citation (style guide)

    Kirthana Ramisetti. Dava Shastri's Last Day. Unabridged Hachette Audio, 2021.

    Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
    Copy Details
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    Needs Update?:
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    Date Added:
    Dec 01, 2021 15:51:21
    Date Updated:
    Dec 01, 2021 15:51:21
    Last Metadata Check:
    Apr 21, 2024 16:43:39
    Last Metadata Change:
    Feb 08, 2024 18:25:22
    Last Availability Check:
    Apr 21, 2024 16:43:43
    Last Availability Change:
    Dec 17, 2023 00:54:41
    Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
    Apr 25, 2024 02:10:18

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        • value: philanthropy
        • value: art
        • value: Wealth
        • value: fortune
        • value: musicians
        • value: private island
        • value: Losing a loved one
        • value: rich women
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        • value: children'parenthood
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    fullDescription

    In this novel "full of music, magnetism, and familial obligation" (Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here) a dying billionaire matriarch leaks news of her death early so she can examine her legacy—a decision that horrifies her children and inadvertently exposes secrets she has spent a lifetime keeping.

    Dava Shastri, one of the world's wealthiest women, has always lived with her sterling reputation in mind. A brain cancer diagnosis at the age of seventy, however, changes everything, and Dava decides to take her death—like all matters of her life—into her own hands.

    Summoning her four adult children to her private island, she discloses shocking news: in addition to having a terminal illness, she has arranged for the news of her death to break early, so she can read her obituaries.

    As someone who dedicated her life to the arts and the empowerment of women, Dava expects to read articles lauding her philanthropic work. Instead, her "death" reveals two devastating secrets, truths she thought she had buried forever.

    And now the whole world knows, including her children.

    In the time she has left, Dava must come to terms with the decisions that have led to this moment—and make peace with those closest to her before it's too late. Compassionately written and chock-full of humor and heart, this powerful novel examines public versus private legacy, the complexities of love, and the never-ending joys—and frustrations—of family.

    Includes a Reading Group Guide.

    A Good Morning America and Lilly Singh's Lilly Library Book Club pick

    Most anticipated in fall 2021 by TIME, The Washington Post, Bustle, Goodreads, and Debutiful

  • An Indie Next Pick
  • A Publishers Marketplace Buzz Book for Fall/Winter 2021
  • Longlisted for the 2021 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

  • reviews
        • premium: True
        • source: Publisher's Weekly
        • content:

          September 20, 2021
          Ramisetti’s uneven, somewhat overstuffed debut features a family drama suffused with music and media attention. The year is 2044, and 70-year-old billionaire Dava Shastri, recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, has arranged to die by assisted suicide on her private island off the coast of Long Island, surrounded by family members gathered for the winter holidays. Shastri, who got rich as a music industry disrupter but made a name for herself through philanthropy, can’t resist knowing what the world will make of her legacy. She leaks news of her death just days before planning to follow through, but to her consternation, news websites fixate on speculation about an Oscar-winning love song written by an old friend, purportedly about her, and on a blog post by a woman who thinks Dava might be her mother. Dava’s flashbacks to her younger years are punctuated by revealing conversations with each of her four adult children, who fret about their shares of the estate and struggle with their own inner conflicts. The characters’ intense reactions to the media revelations feel out of proportion to their actual import, however, and there’s a numbing sameness to the family’s interactions with one another, though Ramisetti excels in her portrait of a woman facing the end of a remarkably expansive and generous life. Overall, this feels a bit too digressive.

        • premium: True
        • source: Booklist
        • content:

          October 1, 2021
          This debut novel envisions the final days of a powerful woman wrestling for control of her legacy, both public and private. Dava Shastri parlayed early success in tech and the music industry into a foundation that helps people in need. Now she is dying, but is determined to go out on her own terms. She gathers her large, diverse family for a family Christmas on their private island, where they are cut off from the world, and informs them she has arranged medical aid in dying--while the rest of the world thinks she has already died. Dava wants to see what the world has to say about her, but is dismayed as the narrative spins in directions she never intended, and her family struggles with their relationship with her as well as with each other. Set in the 2040s with frequent flashbacks to events the reader will recognize from the recent past, this is a thought-provoking family drama that will appeal to fans of All Adults Here by Emma Straub (2020).

          COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

        • premium: True
        • source: Kirkus
        • content:

          November 1, 2021
          An extremely wealthy woman with a terminal illness leaks news of her own death so she can see how she's mourned in the press before the sickness actually takes her life. The year is 2044, and Dava Shastri has summoned her four adult children, as well as their romantic partners and children, to join her for the Christmas holiday on her private island off the coast of eastern Long Island. After everyone arrives and greets the family matriarch, it's a shock to hear the media announcing that their hostess is already dead. When they confront Dava, they learn she's been diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer and she's hired a doctor to euthanize her, which is legal in this futuristic New York. After years of pouring her sweat and tears into her charitable foundation supporting the arts, Dava wants to leave this world on her own terms and in a way that will allow her to see at least some of the beautiful tributes she expects about her life. The news of her death does spur greater media attention than ever before, but instead of accolades, Dava is dismayed to read gossip revealing truths she had long ago buried. Meanwhile, a strong winter storm hits New York, trapping the family on the island, where they have no choice but to confront the issues Dava's predicament has raised. Told from a variety of perspectives, the story is reminiscent of Jonathan Tropper's This Is Where I Leave Youin that circumstances force adult children to spend several days together working through years of resentment and regret. The strength of the story lies in its depiction of a strong-willed matriarch who has doggedly pursued success while doing things her own way. Unfortunately, Ramisetti's inclusion of so many side characters and multiple convoluted backstories makes it difficult to invest in any one plotline. The 2044 time frame also adds to the confusion, as the author fails to ground readers in this unknown era through sufficient details or descriptive explanations. Even so, Ramisetti draws nuanced characters who are introspective and entertaining. A solid debut that will appeal to readers who enjoy quirky family stories with a focus on character over action.

          COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

        • premium: True
        • source: AudioFile Magazine
        • content: Narrator Soneela Nankani becomes Dava Shastri, a business mogul and family matriarch, as she leaks fake news of her own death to the media. This is a fun exploration of personal secrets and the legacies we leave behind. Nankani captures the arch tones of a wealthy, mostly superficial elderly woman who actually is dying. From the wide-ranging family members, aghast at their mother's obsession with her own death, to her long-held secrets, this is a romp of a tale that listeners will enjoy. Nankani maximizes the comedy throughout and balances the laughter with a tone of underlying introspection that is appropriate to the theme of mortality. For those who are looking for a unique family saga, there is much to admire here. M.R. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
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    In this novel "full of music, magnetism, and familial obligation" (Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here) a dying billionaire matriarch leaks news of her death early so she can examine her legacy—a decision that horrifies her children and inadvertently exposes secrets she has spent a lifetime keeping.

    Dava Shastri, one of the world's wealthiest women, has always lived with her sterling reputation in mind. A brain cancer diagnosis at the age of seventy, however, changes everything, and Dava decides to take her death—like all matters of her life—into her own hands.

    Summoning her four adult children to her private island, she discloses shocking news: in addition to having a terminal illness, she has arranged for the news of her death to break early, so she can read her obituaries.

    As someone who dedicated her life to the arts and the empowerment of women, Dava expects to read articles lauding her philanthropic work. Instead,...

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